A blog dedicated to coverage of rock news, reviews of CD's/DVD's, live gigs and interviews with musicians who have made rock music great!
Coverage of hard rock, classic rock, AOR and popular melodic rock music across the genre.
This blog is the creation of Alun Williams, a Brit now living in Michigan whose previous credits include writing for the following sites:
www.classicrock.about.com
www.classicrockrevisited.com
and www.rocknrolluniverse.com (Now gone)
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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Big News Announcement - Sunday 24th January, 2010

German rockers The Scorpions are calling it quits

As legendary German rockers The Scorpions prepare to release their latest album "Sting In The Tail" and set out on a world tour to promote it, today Sunday 24th January 2010, they have announced to the world that this will indeed be their very last tour and possibly album.

It was always our pleasure, our purpose in life, our passion and we were fortunate enough to make music for you - whether it was live on stage or in the studio, creating new songs.

While we were working on our album these past few months, we could literally feel how powerful and creative our work was – and how much fun we were still having, in the process. But there was also something else: We want to end the Scorpion’s extraordinary career on a high note. We are extremely grateful for the fact that we still have the same passion for music we’ve always had since the beginning. This is why, especially now, we agree we have reached the end of the road. We finish our career with an album we consider to be one of the best we have ever recorded and with a tour that will start in our home country Germany and take us to five different continents over the next few years.

We want you, our fans, to be the first to know about this. Thank you for your never-ending support throughout the years!

We uploaded the very first snippets from our new album for you.

And now… let’s get the party started and get ready for a “Sting in the Tail”!

The band that brought us classic albums like "In Trance," "Taken By Force," the excellent live release from 1978, "Tokyo Tapes," "Lovedrive," "Blackout" and many more along with their very strong 2007 release "Humanity Hour 1" were formed in 1965 and have for the most part gone from strength to strength.

Current original members Klaus Meine and Rudolf Schenker started the the band in 1965, were joined by Rudolf's brother Micheal Schenker (Who went on the become a star in his own right.) in 1970 and in 1972 the band released their first album "Lonesome Crow."

They supported that release by touring opening for classic rockers Uriah Heep, UFO and Rory Gallagher.

By 1974, after Michael left in 1973 to hook up with UFO they had been joined by Uli Jon Roth (Another well known guitarist today), bassist Francis Buchholz and drummer Jürgen Rosenthal.

Drummer Rosenthal was replaced in 1975 by Rudy Lenners and in 1977 Herman Rarebell joined the band.

Uli Jon Roth left the band in around 1978. The band were briefly helped out by Michael Schenker who played on a couple of track on 1979 release "Lovedrive." before new boy Matthias Jabs came onboard. Schenker Junior also played on some of the bands live dates in support of the Lovedrive release.

With the line up that featured Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Buchholz, Rarebell and Jabs, it seemed they hit gold - So to speak. - as the band broke the USA with releases, "Animal Magnetism" (1980), "Blackout, (1982)" and "Love at First Sting (1984)."

Then "Savage Amusement," the last album co-produced with Dieter Dierks, was released in 1988. It reached N° 3 in the US chart and N° 1 in Europe.

In 1990 the band released "Crazy World," the first album to be produced by the band themselves.

Crazy World was recorded in Los Angeles, co-produced by Keith Olsen and featuring the smash hit "Wind of Change," immediately became the most successful CD to date. Not only that but "Wind of Change" was the worldwide top single of 1991, occupying the N° 1 slot in 11 countries.

When the 1992 "Crazy World" tour finished, The Scorpions and their long-time bass player Francis Buchholz parted ways.

At the end of 1995, just prior to completing the "Pure Instinct" CD (Co-produced by Keith Olsen and Erwin Musper) that was released in 1996, the SCORPIONS’ veteran drummer and long-time companion Herman "The German" Rarebell left the band.

Prior to the bands "Pure Instinct" tour of 1996 / 97 the band were joined by former Kingdom Come drummer, James Kottak.

In 1999 the band released "Eye to Eye" and toured in support also.

2000 saw the band record "Moment of Glory" with the Berlin Philharmonica and this line up: Klaus Meine(Vocals), Rudolf Schenker(Guitars), Matthias Jabs(Guitars), James Kottak(Drums) and another bass player in Ken Taylor for the recordings.

With an easing back again in 2001, the band released "Acoustica," an album of the band classics given the acoustic treatment and an album cover that almost copied their classic "Blackout" release. With the line up for this release consisting of: Klaus Meine(Vocals), Rudolf Schenker(Guitars), Matthias Jabs(Guitars), James Kottak(Drums), Ralph Rieckermann(Bass), Christian Kolonovits(Piano), Johann Daansen(Guitars), Mario Argandona(Percussion) and Ariane Arcu(Cello).

It was 2004 before their next release "Unbreakable" the bands twentieth release in the bands 35 years so far and this was when the band brought in another bass player, Pawel Maciwoda who has remained constant with the band through the tour that supported that release and the "Humanity Hour 1" recordings and tour right up until today.

I'm sure that 2010 release "Sting In The Tail" and subsequent tour in support will be nothing less than impressive. I guess we can be encouraged that the tour should last around 2 - 3 years, maybe enough time for them to slot in perhaps another new album?!